Obama plan ‘poor substitute’ for growth

The top US Republican in Congress dismissed President Barack Obama's job-creation package as a "poor substitute" for policies that would boost the economy and ruled out tax increases as a way to close the country's budget gap.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said a special congressional committee should try to overhaul the tax code as it tries to trim stubborn budget deficits, but in a way that does not raise taxes.